It might seem like a bit of an off-break to be pondering the summer game in the depths of winter, but we are preparing for the sound of leather on willow by rolling out a new surface for cricket.
If you’ve been past Richmond’s Ben Cooper Park lately, you’ll have seen we are installing an artificial cricket wicket on the western side of the ground.
Artificial wickets cost very little to maintain and are a handy alternative to grass wickets which tend to wear out after even only a few games and require the maintenance of multiple wickets in a ‘block’ across the middle of the cricket pitch.
An artificial pitch offers a great complement to the existing cricket nets at Ben Cooper Park, allowing open wicket practice opportunities without affecting the state of a potential match day surface.
We’ve just completed Phase 1 of the installation – the laying of the concrete. We’re now waiting for it to cure and for the weather conditions to become favourable for the application of the artificial grass covering (Phase 2) – otherwise it might not stick as well as it ought to.
Therefore, the orange fences around the space will be up for the time being.
Ben Cooper Park is also well-used by our junior footballers, and over winter the ground hosts multiple matches for our mini-Messis. We’re pleased to say the installation of the artificial wicket will not intrude on other pitches – rather, it will be located between the sidelines.